Chapter 1199: 186. Why Did You Surrender First?

“True strength? No, that is not quite right either. I did not notice it before, but now that I think about it, Miss Dragon seemed to remain in human form the entire time she was beating me. Does that count as using her full strength? Normally speaking, her dragon form should be even more ferocious, right?” Halfway through speaking, Muen fell into deep thought.

“......”

All the images vanished. Morton abruptly came back to his senses and discovered that he was still inside the office.

He hurriedly felt all over his body. The battle just now...... or rather, the aftermath of the Black Sun being beaten one-sidedly, had given him the illusion that he had already been devoured.

Fortunately, he was not missing any arms or legs, nor had he suffered any serious harm.

It was just that his entire body looked as though he had only just been fished out of a river. He was soaked through with sweat, and his body was nearly exhausted.

“The mental-energy consumption is a little severe. After all, not just anyone can enter my mental space. You will be fine after resting for a while.”

Muen thoughtfully reminded him, picked up the cup of tea that Morton had personally brewed and that had miraculously survived the battle between them, then leisurely took a sip.

“Black tea?”

Muen clicked his tongue. “Unfortunately, I do not like black tea.”

“......”

Morton worked hard to calm his breathing. He had originally intended to rest a little longer as Muen had told him, but then he suddenly realized that the present crisis was not a situation in which he could afford to rest.

“You...... or rather, the two of you, what exactly are you trying to do?” Morton stared at Muen and asked once again.

“Did I not already tell you? We are looking for someone. Those great heroes you speak of—the one outside is looking for them.”

“I do not believe your objective is that simple. The great heroes said that the evil dragon is extremely despicable and that absolutely none of her words can be trusted!”

“If you do not believe me, then there is nothing I can do.” Muen sighed.

This city had been established by those survivors. The beauty here also seemed to have been carefully maintained by those survivors. Whether to believe the “great heroes” whose image had long taken deep root in their understanding, or to believe outsiders who had arrived wrapped in violence—there was not even any meaning in answering that question.

“I never placed any hope in you believing me. It was precisely because I understood this that I chose to use this method.”

Muen crouched down, placed the teacup beside Morton, and gently met his gaze.

“Lord Morton, you are an intelligent man. No matter what our objective is, I think you have already understood......”

“Understood what?”

“We did not come here to destroy you.”

“......”

Morton’s expression stiffened slightly.

They had not come to destroy them?

That also completely contradicted everything he understood.

However, compared with intangible and unfathomable things like “objectives” and “conspiracies,” the current situation had indeed already allowed him to vaguely realize this fact.

—The evil dragon truly did not seem to have come merely to destroy them.

Because judging from the terrifying degree of power he had just witnessed, if she wanted to bring destruction, she could simply use that strength beyond their imagination and directly erase this place.

There would have been no need to make such a grand spectacle out of her “descent.”

Moreover, she had been circling above New Tars for so long. Faced with the city’s laughable defenses, as thin as paper, she had never truly displayed any intention to launch an attack. It was difficult to claim that this was for the sake of so-called “destruction.”

“She is intimidating us because she wants us to submit?” Morton asked in disbelief.

“It is rather cute, is it not?” Muen smiled faintly.

“C...... cute?” Morton stared blankly. He secretly glanced at the black dragon circling in the sky and wondered what the fuck about it looked cute.

Someone capable of becoming the evil dragon’s running dog...... this human truly was abnormal as well.

“I am not talking about her appearance, but other aspects. For example, even though she claims to hate humans the most, she knows so much about human affairs. Or although she constantly calls me an idiot, she still chose the most troublesome method to carry out her plan. Or although she keeps saying she will kill me, she has still allowed me to remain alive and kicking until now.”

Muen rubbed his chin.

“This contradictory feeling that resembles a tsundere, yet feels somewhat different from a tsundere when carefully considered, combined with Miss Dragon’s identity itself, is simply unbearably cute.”

“......”

Impossible to understand.

Had this fellow’s brain been crushed in a door? How could his thought process be so different from a normal person’s?

“Ahem. Do not tell Miss Dragon any of that, or I will die a miserable death.” Muen solemnly warned him.

“......”

Morton’s cheek twitched. He forcibly dragged his thoughts back from the strange workings of the fellow’s mind before him and asked:

“Then what about you? What is your objective?”

“My objective?” Muen raised an eyebrow and said with a smile that was not quite a smile, “You should understand it very clearly, should you not? The current highest actual administrator of this city, my dear Lord Proxy.”

Muen enunciated the word “Proxy” with particular clarity.

“Could it be......”

Morton quickly reacted, and the words Muen had spoken earlier once again surfaced in his mind.

He was his hostage.

His puppet.

Muen intended to use his identity to accomplish certain things.

“Since this is intimidation, under normal circumstances, some bloodshed is always unavoidable, especially when it comes to idiots whose minds have been completely occupied by a single objective from the very beginning.”

Muen leaned closer, patted Morton on the shoulder, and spoke one word at a time in the distinctive tone of some wicked little movie:

“Such a gentle Lord Proxy...... you would not want the citizens you protect to truly suffer heavy casualties, would you?”

......

......

“Damn it......”

The shattered stones were slowly pushed aside, and a battered figure struggled to rise amid the spreading dust.

Kran wiped away the blood and stared at the dragon’s silhouette circling in the sky in disbelief.

“How could she...... be so powerful?”

He still remembered what had just happened. As the vanguard, he had charged alone toward the evil dragon in the sky.

He had believed it would become an exhilarating battle that would raise morale. He had already prepared himself to use his own blood to open a path for his companions.

But...... forget opening a path. Before he had even truly made contact with the other party, he had been repelled by a terrifying force.

He had completely lost face.

[Cease your attack...... and you will not be killed.]

A cold voice echoed through the skies above New Tars. It seemed to have come from that evil dragon.

She was actually telling them to surrender?

How could that be possible?!

“Captain!”

Several mages flew over at great speed and hurriedly began casting healing magic on him.

“Are you all right?”

“I am fine.” Kran quickly stabilized his breathing. “I merely encountered a small accident. It is nothing serious.”

“Just now......”

“That was an accident! There is no need for any of you to worry!”

Kran shouted, interrupting their anxious questions. Even so, he still clearly saw the trace of panic that had appeared in their eyes.

No. This could not continue.

That evil dragon might indeed be even more terrifying than he had imagined, but if their side began thinking of retreat before the battle had even properly begun, then they truly would be finished!

“Move aside!”

With that thought, Kran directly pushed the others away. Ignoring his injuries, he once again shot into the air under the reinforcement of magic.

“Captain!”

The warriors stationed on the front line were also in a state of panic. When they saw him return, they immediately became overjoyed.

“You......”

“I am fine.”

Kran raised a hand and forcibly swallowed the blood rising in his throat.

“What happened just now was merely a minor accident. That evil dragon is extremely despicable and ambushed me while I was not paying attention. It is nothing worth mentioning!”

“R...... really?”

“Would I lie to you? Form the ranks. This time, we cannot underestimate the enemy. We will launch a joint attack!”

“Yes!”

With Kran holding the center, the wall standing before the evil dragon became increasingly solid. An enormous amount of magical power began gathering on the ground, cooperating with the joint formation that more than a hundred warriors had prepared for an unknown number of years. This attack was so powerful that even Kran himself felt afraid of it.

Come, evil dragon! This is the moment when we will truly decide victory and defeat!

Kran roared inwardly. He could almost already see the scene of the evil dragon being forced back by their overwhelming assault......

However...... in the next moment.

None of what he had imagined happened.

Kran saw what seemed to be a trace of mockery appearing within the evil dragon’s golden pupils. She did not even seriously face their attack. Her body continued circling high in the sky, and only her long dragon tail swept across with extreme casualness......

Then everything New Tars had so carefully prepared for this moment shattered with a thunderous crash.

Whether it was the warriors’ formation in the sky or the formations the mages had arranged in advance on the ground, all of them were like thin sheets of paper, effortlessly torn apart by that evil dragon.

Even the violent wind brought by the dragon tail swept outward, and more than half the warriors were unable to withstand even the aftershock. They were sent tumbling miserably to the ground.

Their first truly full-powered attack had produced a completely disproportionate result.

Kran finally realized something, and his hands and feet turned cold.

[Cease your attack. Put down your weapons...... and you will not be killed.]

“Captain!”

Several subordinates who had barely managed to remain standing staggered over, their expressions terrified.

“Wh...... what should we do next?”

“......Continue attacking.”

After a brief silence, Kran once again raised the treasured sword that had once slain the earth dragon.

“Do not be afraid. Continue attacking!”

“B...... but......”

“There is no ‘but.’ Do not forget that New Tars is directly behind us, along with countless citizens who need our protection. At a time like this, we absolutely cannot be afraid, and we absolutely cannot retreat!” Kran roared.

“Y...... yes!”

Kran’s determination was like a spark that reignited the courage in everyone’s hearts. The members of the Dragon-Slaying Team, who had only just been knocked into complete disorder, gathered once again and directly faced the evil dragon above the firmament.

“I made a rough count. Not a single one of us has died yet. Heh, perhaps that dragon is nothing but an empty show of strength and only looks terrifying.”

Someone made a joke.

No one laughed.

Because anyone who was not blind could already roughly understand the present situation.

But...... no one retreated either.

“Do not be afraid, everyone.”

Kran once again spoke in a deep voice.

“Strength does not represent everything. As long as we unite our hearts and work together, we will certainly be able to defeat this powerful enemy. Do not forget that we personally received the instruction of the great heroes. We are true candidates to become heroes!”

“Long live the great heroes! Long live New Tars!” everyone shouted.

“Very good.”

Kran pointed his sword toward the firmament.

“Come! This will be the final charge upon which the survival or destruction of New Tars depends!”

“Charge!”

Kran and the members of the Dragon-Slaying Team prepared to completely abandon the useless joint formation and use their own bodies of flesh and blood to launch a fearless attack against the evil dragon in the sky, whose majestic golden pupils were gradually turning cold!

This time, they would certainly......

“Wait!”

But just as Kran was preparing to lead the charge, a loud shout caused both him and everyone around him to abruptly stop.

“Stop! All of you, stop!”

“Lord Proxy?”

Kran turned his head and froze for a moment before asking in confusion:

“Why are you...... No, why have you only just arrived?”

According to their original plan, when the evil dragon arrived, Lord Proxy was supposed to be the commander-in-chief responsible for coordinating all sides. After all, he was the highest administrator of this city and the most prestigious person aside from the great heroes.

“I...... I......”

Morton was panting heavily and had no time to explain anything. Under everyone’s shocked gazes, he suddenly lowered his head toward the enormous dragon above the firmament.

“Lord Hamreign, we surrender. We will not launch another attack. We will put down our weapons as you have requested. Please...... show us mercy!”

“Wh...... what?”

Morton’s plea echoed in everyone’s ears. Before the circling dragon had even shown any reaction, Kran was the first to leap up directly.

He glared fixedly at Morton and shouted in disbelief:

“Lord Proxy, what is the meaning of this? We were just about to fight to the death...... Why did you surrender first?”